BBC News with Iain Purdon
The US Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel has said the US is rethinking its opposition to arming Syria's rebels. It's the first time a senior American official has openly acknowledged that the administration is considering providing weapons to the rebels, although no decisions have been made. Our state department correspondent Kim Ghattas reports.
The American Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel said the US administration was considering a range of options including arming the Syrian rebels, but he made clear no decisions had been made. Last year President Barack Obama rejected a proposal by his then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to arm the rebels. But as the fighting drags-on in Syria, the debate about what the US should do has intensified in Washington, and with no appetite here for direct military intervention, many US officials increasingly feel that arming the rebels is now the least worst option. American allies like Qatar and Saudi Arabia are already providing weapons to various groups fighting President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
President Obama has arrived in Mexico for talks that are expected to switch the focus of bilateral ties to job creation and trade rather than security issues and the war on drugs. Will Grant reports from Mexico City
As Mr. Obama touched down in Mexico City on his first visit since Enrique Pena Nieto took office. He was welcomed off Air Force One by the country's Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade and the US ambassador Antony Wayne as well as other members of the Mexican government military. President Pena Nieto was waiting for his guest at the National Palace for bilateral talks. In some way, Mr. Obama arrives with two separate agendas, one public, in which both sides have been keen to strengthen emphasis on the economy and trade; the other is private which is thought to include difficult questions about security and cross-border crime.
A Kenyan court has found two Iranian nationals guilty of planning attacks on foreign installations in the country. The court heard the Kenyan police's swift action had averted mayhem. From Nairobi Mwachiro Busadi reports.
The two Iranians, Ahmed Mohammed and Sayed Mansour Mousavi were found guilty of processing 15 kilos of powerful explosives allegedly for use in bomb attacks. Nairobi judge Kaire Waweru said the prosecution had proved beyond any reasonable doubt that the two were planning to attacks on Israel, American and British installations in Kenya. The two Iranians denied the allegations and judge Kaire would sentence them on Monday.
The United Nations' mission in Iraq has reported that April 2013 was the most violent month in the country for almost five years. The UN says more than 700 people were killed in bomb attacks and other violence. The number of attacks increases sharply after a security force raided a Sunni protest camp last week with clashes quickly spreading to other Sunni areas.
World News from the BBC
The former Pope, Benedict has returned to the Vatican to take up permanent residence there in his retirement. Benedict, who is 86, was flown in by helicopter from the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo near Rome. He was greeted by his successor, Pope Francis, before being taken to his new quarters, inside a former monastery. The BBC Vatican correspondent says there has been speculation that his health has declined since he stepped down as Pope at the end of February.
The US government has urged North Korea to release immediately an American citizen it has sentenced to 15 years hard labour in prison. Kenneth Bae was arrested in November while he was leading a tour group into the country. North Korean state media said Mr. Bae admitted charges of trying to overthrow the country's government. The United States' State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said Washington had concerns about North Korea's legal system.
"Part of our concern and we had long standing concerns about the lack of transparency and due process on North Korean legal system. So, now that Mr. Bae has gone through the legal process, we urge the DPRK to grant him amnesty and immediate release.”
There has been an attempt by a Greek member of parliament from the far-right party Golden Dawn to assault the mayor of Athens, but a 12-year-old girl has been injured instead. The MP attempted to punch the mayor but was restrained by bodyguards and ended up hitting the girl. The mayor had banned Golden Dawn from distributing free food to the poor in central Athens.
The Dutch government has announced plans to give police much greater powers to fight cyber crime. Under a new draft law, investigators will be able to hack into computers, install spyware, read emails and destroy files. They could also break into servers located abroad, if they are being used to block services. The government said the use of these powers would be subject to the approval of a judge.